Noted engineering academician Achille Messac has been appointed dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C., effective this month.

“In his new role, Dr. Messac will provide academic and administrative leadership, vision, and oversight for undergraduate and graduate programs in Architecture and Design, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering,” Howard President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a letter to the university community.

Prior to his new appointment, Messac served as dean of engineering and professor of aerospace engineering at Mississippi State University in Starkville from 2013 to 2015. He also did stints as professor and chairman of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Syracuse University (2010 to 2013), and as acting department head for the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering Department (2008 to 2009), at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was also elected and served as the faculty senate president.

Messac earned undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees from MIT.

A distinguished expert in his field, Messac is a highly-sought after speaker internationally and has received many prestigious awards and appointments. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he also acted as deputy director for aerospace design. And, he is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

The new dean is also well-published, having authored or co-authored more than 240 publications of which over 70 are journal articles. He also serves on several editorial boards, including that of the “Optimization and Engineering Journal” and the “Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization Journal.”

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Messac bring his extensive leadership experience and vision to the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences and Howard University,” Frederick stated.